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The Rajasthan government handed over the case to India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in December 2017 following protests by members of the gangster community claiming foul play in the incident.
Gangster Anandpal Singh was allegedly killed in an encounter at Malasar village in Churu on the evening of June 24, 2017
A CBI court on Wednesday dismissed the central probe agency's closure report into the alleged fake encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh in 2017 and directed that murder and other charges be filed against the policemen involved in the killing.
The court order came after Anandpal's wife Raj Kanwar filed a petition against the CBI's closure report, which gave a clean slate to then Churu SP Rahul Barhat, DSP (Kuchman Municipality) Vidhya Prakash, Inspector Surya Veer Singh and others evidence of.
Gangster Anandpal Singh was allegedly killed in an encounter in Churumalasar village on the evening of June 24, 2017. Police claimed that after cordoning off the house where he was hiding, they asked him to surrender, but he started shooting at police and was killed in the ensuing clashes.
The Rajasthan government handed over the case to India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in December 2017 after community members protested and alleged foul play.
After investigation, the CBI concluded that this was an encounter and submitted a closure report to the court in August 2019. As a witness, Rupenderpal Singh challenged this report in court in May 2023.
Kanwar's lawyer Banwar Singh said that after hearing arguments from both sides, the court found that Anand Pal had surrendered before he was killed.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Yuvraj Singh rejected the CBI closure report and directed that then SP Rahul Barhat, then DSP Vidhya Prakash, then Inspector Surya Veer Singh, SP Kailash Chandra and Sohan Singh and constables Dharmpal and Sohan Singh File a criminal complaint.
The case will be prosecuted under IPC sections 147 and 148 (relating to rioting), 302 (punishment for murder), 326, 325 and 324 (voluntarily using dangerous weapon causing grievous hurt), combined with Section 149 (punishment for murder) Individual responsibility for crimes committed) by a group).
Giving details of the case, petitioner's lawyer Banwar Singh said the police had arrested Rupender Pal and Devind Pal and during interrogation they came to know that Anand Pal was hiding in a house in Malassar. in the house.
“When the police arrived at the house on June 24, Anand Pal was on the roof. The police then asked Rupender to convince Anand Pal to surrender and promise that they would not harm him,” the lawyer said.
“Rupender then led a police team, including SP Barhat and other officials, through the steps to the roof. Anand Pal was persuaded and he surrendered, but the police beat him and shot him at close range,” the lawyer claimed.
He argued in court that the bullets were found on the roof, while police claimed they shot him from the ground and not toward the roof.
There was also no mention of Vidya Prakash's presence at the spot in the CBI report, although spent bullets from Vidya Prakash's pistol were found on the roof.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from United News Agency-PTI)
